Thursday, March 23, 2017

This month, I don't write of traditions or scrumptious holiday goodies for the tummy, but of something more substantial for the soul.

I believe in miracles. One Christmas, when my first child was born a week before the 25th, I longed for a tree and decorations for the house, but hubby had to work and taking care of my son took all my energy. Just two days before Christmas, just as I was putting him down to sleep and Bill was cleaning the dinner dishes, the doorbell rang.

Our next door neighbors greeted us with a 3 foot tree, a bag of lights, a wreath, ornaments, and a bottle of wine! After decorating the tree and hanging the wreath, we all toasted the holiday (I had tea because I was breast feeding). Then they invited us to Christmas dinner. For us, it was a Christmas miracle.

On Christmas Eve in 2009, a pregnant woman was in labor but before delivering her baby she went into cardiac arrest. Unsuccessful in resuscitating the mother, the doctor performed a Cesarean to try to save the baby. It was a boy, who had a very weak pulse. Suddenly, the clinically-dead woman's heart started beating. Both made a full recovery - another Christmas miracle! (Cracked, “6 True Stories to Make Sane People Believe in Xmas Miracles”, Robin Warder, (http://www.cracked.com/article_21996_6-true-stories-to-make-sane-people-believe-in-xmas-miracles.html)

Here's one more: A five year old understood that times were tough for her family, and her wish for a doll and a pair of shoes would not be fulfilled. So she wrote a letter to Santa, tied it to a helium-filled balloon and sent it toward the North Pole. Well, it drifted, as balloons sometimes (always) do. It popped, fell down and was discovered by a California woman who read the letter.Using the Internet, she ferreted out the young girl's location, and sent a nice big bundle of Christmas presents for the little girl to open from "Santa". (TopTenz, “Top Ten Amazing Real Life Christmas Miracles”, Morris M., 2013, http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-amazing-real-life-christmas-miracles.php)

No matter what you believe (or don't believe), miracles happen every day. I tend to believe more happen around the holidays. Is it that people feel more generous and happy? Or maybe that our spirits are more tuned into the magic of the season? Or could there be angels hovering around us, helping us out in small and secret ways as well as sudden and amazing ways. Believe it or not, the miracles won't stop. They just might pass you by, though...Stay alert!

While team members had the option of working with any of my Décosse's
Dynamite Doodles papers, I did create a special set called An Angelic Nature. Check out the preview...

Everyone who links up a minimum of two cards during the month of March will earn ONE of the digital papers from this set. The specific paper
up for grabs will be shown during the winner announcement post.
Additionally, one random winner will earn the full set of papers.

Have your say in determining which paper will be offered to those who
link up a minimum of two cards this month by completing the poll below.

DIGI PAPER POLL
Please click "like" to choose the ONE paper that you would
like offered up to participants who link up a minimum of two cards
during the month of March. Poll will be open until March 31st,
11:59 p.m. EST. Please note that you can get a better idea of what the actual
paper looks like by bringing the preview ABOVE up in the lightbox.

Now
check out what the Merry Maidens came up with to inspire you. Clicking
on
the names will take you to the individual blogs where you can check
out the details for all these wonderful cards.

So if you haven't entered already, what are you waiting for? It is
time to link up your Christmas and other holiday cards for March. Whether
you choose to link up two Anything Goes themed cards simply to
earn your free paper this month, or you choose to also follow the
optional theme to have a chance at the sponsor's prize, it is completely
up to you!

Here is a refresher of the details for this challenge...

Please remember that this is a CARDS ONLY link up. While we've
had some lovely tag entries in the past, we've sadly had to disqualify them.

Challenge #27

Optional Theme: Christmas Angels

Angels
are an important part of Christmas. Many Christmas trees feature
angels, attired in flowing gowns. Traditionally, it is the last
ornament placed at the very top of the tree. There she sits,
resplendent, gazing down in all her
glory. The Christmas story is filled with angels bringing messages. As
such, the angel deserves that special place of honour during the holiday
season. This month, let's bring some
of those beautiful angels to your cards!

In
order to
have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest
sponsor this month, make sure that your card has an angel featured prominently on
it in some form or other (i.e. image, part of the paper, embellishments, etc.). IMPORTANT:If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize.

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your
cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name
thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies.
You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win
this month's sponsored prize of a $12.00 gift certificate from
A Day For Daisies.

If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I started it under the 'Introductions'
tab. As this is a different kind of link up where we have both an
anything goes Christmas option and an optional theme to follow, be sure
to read all the details and rules you need to know in order to
participate, by checking out the 'Challenge Details' tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog).

You can find the Challenge Details Summary along with the link up for Challenge #27 by clicking HERE.

Don't Forget, if everything goes according to plan...

Hopefully this week I'll get a chance to post the winners from Challenge #25.

Be sure to join us during the third week of March when Pat will be here to share a special post on Christmas Miracles.

Next up it will be time for our new challenge to start on April 1st.

Then, the winners from Challenge #26 will hopefully be posted sometime between April 8th & 10th.

Other special posts may be published throughout the month. Be sure
to sign up to have our posts delivered by email or follow us through
Bloglovin' so you don't miss a thing!

Wednesday, March 01, 2017

Howdy Folks! Welcome to The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up.
It is the first day of March and that means it is time for our next
challenge to get under way! As I look out my window, it is snowing and rather blustery, has been since early this morning. You'd never know that it is supposed to be spring in just a few weeks!

Right now, it is time to get on with the challenge. Here is what you need to know...

The Basics

While you can find out ALL the information you need to know in order to participate in the challenge by checking out the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page (or by clicking HERE), here is a refresher of the basics.

Anyone can link up as many Christmas and/or December holiday themed cards (including Happy New Year's cards)throughout
the month with an ANYTHING GOES theme.

Every person who has linked up a MINIMUM of
two (2) cards will be eligible to
receive a specially designed Christmas themed digital paper.

Each month there will be an OPTIONAL theme to follow. Anyone who submits a card adhering to the monthly theme,
will have the chance to win a prize from that month's guest sponsor.

Every holiday card you submit to the link up, earns you one chance to win a
special digital Christmas kit that will be offered up after the year is
complete.

Now that the basics are out of the way, how about we get on with the details of Challenge #27.

Challenge #27

Optional Theme: Christmas Angels

Angels
are an important part of Christmas. Many Christmas trees feature
angels, attired in flowing gowns. Traditionally, it is the last
ornament placed at the very top of the tree. There she sits,
resplendent, gazing down in all her
glory. The Christmas story is filled with angels bringing messages. As
such, the angel deserves that special place of honour during the holiday
season. This month, let's bring some
of those beautiful angels to your cards!

In
order to
have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest
sponsor this month, make sure that your card has an angel featured prominently on
it in some form or other (i.e. image, part of the paper, embellishments, etc.). IMPORTANT:If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize.

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your
cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name
thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies.
You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win
this month's sponsored prize of a $12.00 gift certificate from
A Day For Daisies.

Talking about A Day For Daisies, it is time to refresh ourselves with the details of this great returning sponsor...

While team members had the option of working with any of my Décosse's
Dynamite Doodles papers, I did create a special set called An Angelic Nature. Check out the preview...

Everyone who links up a minimum of two cards during the month of March will earn ONE of the digital papers from this set. The specific paper
up for grabs will be shown during the winner announcement post.
Additionally, one random winner will earn the full set of papers.

Have your say in determining which paper will be offered to those who
link up a minimum of two cards this month by completing the poll below.

DIGI PAPER POLL
Please click "like" to choose the ONE paper that you would
like offered up to participants who link up a minimum of two cards
during the month of March. Poll will be open until March 31st,
11:59 p.m. EST. Please note that you can get a better idea of what the actual
paper looks like by bringing the preview ABOVE up in the lightbox.

Now
check out what the Sleigh Belles came up with to inspire you. Clicking on
the names will take you to the individual blogs where you can check
out the details for all these wonderful cards...

So what are you waiting for? It is time to link up your Christmas and
other holiday cards for March! Whether you choose to link up two
Anything Goes themed cards simply to earn your free paper this month, or
you choose to also follow the optional theme to have a chance at the sponsor's
prize, it is completely up to you!

If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I started it under the 'Introductions' tab and all the details you need to know in order to participate, in the 'Challenge Details' tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog).

We have a packed month as usual; so, Pat and I and the rest of the gang hope to see you back with us soon!

We hope to publish the names of the
winners and top
picks from Challenge #25 as soon as we can get to it. While it is normally scheduled for the 8th, these past few months it has been rather late. Sorry for any inconveniences this may cause anyone.

Then, be sure to join us again on March 15th, for our midway post where you'll get to see cards created by the Merry Maidens!

Then during the third week of March, Pat should be here to share a Christmas tradition and/or recipe with us all.

Other special posts may be published throughout the month. Be sure
to sign up to have our posts delivered by email or follow us through
Bloglovin' so you don't miss a thing!

CHALLENGE DETAILS SUMMARY
Each month we'll include a summary of details for the particular
challenge taking place. If you are new, please be sure to familiarize
yourself with all the details and rules in the
'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page. Please note that dates and times listed below are for
this particular challenge only:

Cards for this challenge will be accepted from 6:00 p.m. (18:00 hrs), March 1st until 11:59 p.m. (23:59 hrs), March 31st, 2017. All times listed are in EST.

If you wish to receive the free digi paper being offered up for this month, you need to link up a minimum of two (2) Christmas or holiday themed cards.

This is NOT a progressive challenge. You can jump in at any time.

Only a maximum of three (3) entries will qualify for the draw for this month's prize of a $12.00 gift certificate from A Day For Daisies. You must add 'FT' after you name so we know which cards to add to the random draw for the sponsor's prize.

No backlinking.

Make sure when entering your project that you mention The 12 Months
of Christmas Link Up in your post with a link back to this blog.

Please remember to link directly to your blog post where we can see
your creation, and not just the generic link to your blog.

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Link Up Below:
If you have
any problems linking up, please be sure to leave a comment.The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up Challenge #27
Please link up your Anything Goes Christmas and/or December holiday themed CARDS with the optional theme of Christmas Angels, below. Be sure to add FT after your name if you followed the theme. Please see above for all the rules and details.

Please help spread the word by grabbing our badge, adding it to your blog and linking it to ours.

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Welcome!

Hello and welcome to The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up. You'll find everything you need to know about this challenge blog, how to play and more, by checking out the different pages at the top of the blog.

We hope that you'll consider joining us! We can't wait to see your creations!

Lisa and Pat

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact us by email: the_12_moc_linkup {at] outlook [dot] com.

Thanks so much to Sandy S. from Scribbles Designs who has generously allowed us to use her images in the design of our badges and watermarks. Please be sure to go and check out her store. Clicking on the badge will take you there.

Looking for Fabulous Blogwear?! Well look no further than Imagine That. Thanks to Kris B. for creating this beautiful blogwear for us. You too can have unique backgrounds! Be sure to check out Imagine That's line of incredible free blogwear. Clicking on the badge will take you the blogwear section of the store.

Current Challenge

Challenges go live the 1st of each month generally at 6:00 p.m., EST. Please click HERE to go to the current challenge. Linking two cards each month earns you a free digi paper and a chance to win other goodies at the end of the year. Follow the optional theme for a chance to win a prize from our monthly guest sponsor.

Challenge Winners

Are you a lucky winner or part of the top three in Challenge #29? Click HERE to find out. If you missed the results of Challenge #28, click HERE. For all other previous challenges click HERE.